Occupation
Associate Judge
BA English/Political Science, Wayland Baptist Univ, cum laude;
JD Texas Wesleyan School of Law (now Texas A&M);
I was a criminal prosecutor for over 20 years, was a Senior Associate for a civil litigation firm, and owned my own criminal defense practice. Since 2023, I have been an Associate Judge for the 323rd District Court.
A judge must be neutral and agenda-free. Being a judge has allowed me to hone my judicial temperament to ensure a fair and impartial hearing for all litigants and their families. Those skills only come from experience. I'm the only candidate in this race who has judicial experience. Additionally, as a prosecutor with over 150 jury trials and having practiced as a criminal defense attorney, I understand the importance of an efficient process for victims as well as the accused.
Education is a vital component for defendants to understand their rights and available options to avoid a criminal record. An experienced judge knows how to hold attorneys accountable for quality work for all clients and control the docket to ensure timely trials. Tarrant Co currently has a robust diversion system, including nine specialized diversion programs. We also follow Senate Bill 7 for random appointments of defense counsel to avoid judge-selected appointments without good cause.
An experienced judge who has already handled docket control is vital in a busy felony court like CDC1. Tarrant County residents can't afford a judge who is learning on the fly. Cases must be prioritized by oldest in custody then oldest on bond. Judges must be willing to work more than 40 hours a week and hold both sides accountable for trial timelines. Judge and staff must also be accessible to attorneys, law enforcement, and bondsmen, to set hearings and dispose of cases in a timely manner.
Checkbooks have no bearing inside a criminal courtroom, period. The judicial canons, which I've been operating under as a judge for 3.5 years, make that clear. Attorneys who practice in my court know I cannot be bought--the results of the 2026 Tarrant County Bar Judicial Evaluation poll, available online, is completed by practicing attorneys, and speaks loudly to that point in comparing the candidates for this court.
Attorneys, law enforcement, and bondsmen should have access to the judge. The docket cannot move, and defendants cannot have their day in court, without it. I will be on the job and accessible.
Safety of the public is of utmost importance. With the violent crime rates in Dallas, Travis, and Harris counties far-exceeding Tarrant Co year after year, it is clear that Republican judges, and their decisions on bail and sentencing, help keep a community safe. Numbers don't lie.
Campaign Phone
214-842-3454
Occupation
Attorney
EDUCATION
English Legal and Common Law, College of Law, London, England,
J.D., South Texas College of Law, Dean's List
B.A., University of Texas at Arlington Graduate with Honors
A.A., Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, Graduate with Highest Honors, Dean's List
EXPERIENCE:
Career prosecutor, Former Elected DA, Professor Emeritus Gov and law, former police officer.
Supervised approximately 140 staff in Dallas District Attorney's office. Super Chief, DNA attorney for Dallas' internationally famous Conviction Integrity Unit, Chief of the Mental Health Division Dallas, Former Chief of Police Liaison for the City of Dallas, Executive officer in the Dallas Police Department, career prosecutor, criminal defense, author of law books, hundreds of trials, over 300 appellate briefs, former acting City Judge Bridgeport, former police officer. ..
Tarrant County can be made safer by having experienced judges dedicated to swift, appropriate justice, not by spending more money on jails.
Reduce crime by moving more cases faster. Get the violent offenders to prison instead out on bond in your community for years. Currently people are spending twice the length of their sentence in the Tarrant jail.
Reduce lawsuits due to deaths and overcrowding in the jail. I have written the book on best practices in fixing the criminal justice system.
As the elected District Attorney of Cooke County, I reduced the crime by 25% (documented with the Office of Court Administration) while cutting the jail population in half. This was accomplished by working hard to move violent inmates to the Texas Department of Corrections and moving old cases, some as old as 12 years leftover from the previous administration.
I have an entire chapter entitled "What Judges can Do" in my book (you can read the entire chapter on my website).
BrainStormer
What is wrong with the criminal justice system and how to fix it
Dealing logically, ethically, and efficiently with the mentally vulnerable and those with addictive tendencies.
An in depth look at the problems America currently faces with mental illness and drug abuse, and how those problems can be solved. Dealing logically, ethically, and efficiently with issues.
Tarrant County needs to stem the tide of the deaths in the jail which have resulted in the largest lawsuits in Tarrant history. Tarrant needs a true MENTAL HEALTH COURT. I was the Chief of the Mental Health Division in the Dallas DAs office. I have written a book on dealing with those with addictive tendencies - what is wrong with the criminal justice system and how to fix it.
